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Molecular evolution of mitochondrial coding genes in the oxidative phosphorylation pathway in malacostraca: purifying
Daizhen Zhang1, Ge Ding1, Baoming Ge1
1a Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Wetland Bioresources and Environmental Protection , Jiangsu Synthetic Innovation Center for Coastal Bio-Agriculture, Yancheng Teachers University , Yancheng , China.
Mitochondrial proteins in malacostraca show varied evolutionary patterns. NADH dehydrogenase and ATP synthase exhibit accelerated evolution, while cytochrome bc1 and c oxidase complexes are under purifying selection.
Area of Science:
- Mitochondrial genomics
- Evolutionary biology
- Crustacean genetics
Background:
- Mitochondria are crucial for cellular energy production via oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS).
- Mitochondrial proteins are generally expected to evolve under strong purifying selection due to their essential metabolic roles.
- Malacostraca represents a diverse group of crustaceans.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolutionary patterns of mitochondrial coding genes in Malacostraca.
- To determine if mitochondrial proteins in Malacostraca adhere to the expected purifying selection model.
- To compare the evolutionary rates of different oxidative phosphorylation complexes.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of synonymous nucleotide divergence (Ks) across all mitochondrial coding genes.
- Calculation of the ratio of non-synonymous to synonymous nucleotide divergence (Ka/Ks) for specific complexes.
- Measurement of non-synonymous (πNS) and synonymous (πS) nucleotide diversity.
Main Results:
- All mitochondrial coding genes in Malacostraca exhibited significantly higher synonymous nucleotide divergence (Ks).
- Complex I (NADH dehydrogenase) and Complex V (ATP synthase) showed higher Ka/Ks ratios and πNS, indicating accelerated evolution.
- Complex III (cytochrome bc1 complex) and Complex IV (cytochrome c oxidase) displayed lower Ka/Ks ratios and πNS, consistent with purifying selection.
Conclusions:
- The evolutionary trajectory of mitochondrial genes in Malacostraca is not uniformly under purifying selection.
- NADH dehydrogenase and ATP synthase genes in Malacostraca demonstrate accelerated evolutionary rates.
- Cytochrome bc1 complex and cytochrome c oxidase genes in Malacostraca are under purifying selection, contrasting with other OXPHOS components.
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